Device for the operation of dictating machines



April 16, 1963 R. ERNST ETAL DEVICE FOR THE OPERATION OF DICTATING MACHINES Filed Oct. 1'7. 1957 REM MINI/ENTOPS a lato'r is cut in.

United States Patent many 7 Filed Oct. 17, 1957, Ser. No. 690,702

Claims priority, application Germany Feb. 26, 1957 Claims. (Cl. 179-1001) This invention relates to a device for the operation of dictating machines permitting the alternate recording of sound on two recording belts. In known devices of this type two recording and reproducing units are combined in a single machine. This results in a complicated and expensive type of construction.

The present invention is based on the observation that, in general automatic operation is seldom required for changing from the one recording belt to another. As a practical matter machines designed for conference operation and provided with automatic changeover are most often used by a single operator capable of replacing the recording belt easily and quickly.

Starting from these observations made with dictating machines. in practical service the'object of said device, according to this invention, is to function as an auxiliary unit to permit the alternate changeover from the one recording belt to the other, whereby this unit may be connected together with two dictating machines which alternately can be used separately. From the foregoing it results that this invention afiords the possibility of using a simple dictating machine as it always exists in an enterprise, also for conference operation, and the advantage of requiring for this purpose only a small, relatively inexpensive, auxiliary unit to which two of the standard dictating machines need be connected together solely for the duration of the conference operation whereas, on the other hand, they canbe used separately before and after the conference operation. Another advantage becomes evident when considering that only one piece of the necessary operating means need be provided such as: microphone and foot or hand-operated switches and that these means can be brought, through the auxiliary device, into function with the respective operating dictating machine.

In comparison with the knownconference machines containing two recording and-reproducing units in which the changeover meansfor each switching position is provided with a special relay and switching circuit, the auxiliary device according to this invention is able to effect all switching operations through a single relay with a single working coil.

A typical example of application of the principles of this invention is illustrated hereinafter.

In the application shown on the accompanying drawings the remote-controlled connections 24, 26 of two entirely identical dictating machines a and b are coupled by means of plug and cable to an auxiliary unit where they are so connected that with a microphone 1 with re mote-control switch 2 (microphone unit d), and alternatively even with a foot or hand-operated switch e embodying switching contacts 34 for start-stop and repetition, only one of the dictating machines can be used for recording. In each of the two dictating machines is provided one connection 5 for a microphone which can also be used as a loud speaker and one connection 6 for a control line leading to the high-frequency oscillator. By grounding the connection 6 the high-frequency oscil- Numeral 7 designates an input transmitter, numeral 8 an amplifier, numeral 9 a sound recorder head, numeral 10 an endless band on which are ICC recorded sounds in the form of helical grooves. An interrupter 11 enables the machine to be switched either to recording (A) or to reproduction (W). A start-stop relay when not excited, causes the endless belt driving motor to run and causes it to stop when energized. A repeating relay 13 allows the sound recorder head 9 to move back so that the sound previously recorded on the said belt can be reproduced. The relay 12 is connected to the points 13, 14 at jacks 24 and 26, respectively, the relay 15 to point 16 of jack 26. If tone recorder head 9 has reached the end of its travel across the belt, a belt end contact 17 cuts in a buzzer across line 19 and, moreover, connects terminal 18 at jack 26 with the ground. This will cause relay R in the auxiliary device 0 to cut in or out, thereby always switching out the then operating dictating machine. Near termination of recording of sound on the belt 10a of the operating dictating machine a the latter will be stopped andsirnultaneous ly the other machine put into operation. Thereafter, the recorded sound belt 10 may be exchanged for a new unrecorded band and the machine a made again ready forrecording by moving its associated magnetic recorder head 9 back to its initial position on the sound recording belt 10a. If the sound recording on the belt 10b in the second machine b is nearing termination, it is automa' tically stopped, at the same time the first dictating machine a being put in motion again. The microphone d and control keys 2 are interconnected with the then operating machine by the relay R which effects the alternate switching in of the machines a and b. By this way it is possible to provide for a practically uninterrupted continuous sound recording.

The manner of operating as represented here is of interest especially for conference recordings Where the statements of the parties concerned in the conference are directly recorded either wholly or partly or where the individual statements for themost part are'recorded by a person keeping the minutes. The recording belt ld or other types of sound recording means may then be repro' duced and typewritten even during the conference so that at the end .of said .conference, the ready-written minutes may be delivered to each member of the conference.

For the connection of the microphone d and control keys e by means of the associated plugs 21 and 23, respectively, jacks 20 and 22, respectively, are provided at the auxiliary unit c. Plugs 25a, 27a, 25b, 27b serve to connect the auxiliary @unit to the two-dictating machines through jacks 24a, 26a and 24b, 26b. At 28 the auxiliary unit is connected to the AC. supply. A transformer 29 with rectifier 30 supplies the exciting'current for relay R whose exciting coil is connected with one end to a terminal of the exciting current source and with the other end to the ground. The terminals of the exciting current source are connected to the belt end contacts 17a and 17b in both dictating machines across 18a and 18b. In closing the contacts 17a relay R is energized through ground connection and remains energized through holding contact r8 and series resistance 31, even when the contact opens. If after some time the belt end contact 17b is closed, the relay R is short-circuited through ground connection and de-energized.

The relay contact r2 remains always connected to the ground. The position of relay contacts r1 and r8 as shown in the drawing conforms to the de-energized condition of relay R. In this condition the unit a is cut in,

while the unit b is being cut in when the relay R is enerover from the one dictating machine to the other. Switching-in of the high-frequency oscillator in the one or the other dictating machine is effected through contact r5 by connecting 6a or 612 to the ground. The contact r7 connects start-stop switches 2 and 3 and the contact r5 connects the repeating switch 4 to the operating dictating machine.

The contact r6 provides for a permanent excitation of the start-stop relay 12 of the then inoperative dictating machine through the ground connection so that its belt drive motor does not run. When the dictating machine is cut in, then the start-stop relay may be either energized or cut out by correspondingly moving the switch and thus the recorder belt may be stopped and put into motion, respectively.

Whenever in one of the dictating machines the buzzer is heard, which means that the recording operation in the respective machine is completed, the sound recorder head is moved to its initial position and the recorder belt changed. In the meanwhile the recording operation is being continued in the other dictating machine.

What is claimed is:

1. Recording apparatus comprising, first and second like dictating machines each having a recording medium and a sound transducer responsive to electrical signals for recording data on said medium, said sound transducer and medium being relatively movable, an external control unit including at least a microphone and control switch, said external control unit having connectors electrically coupled to said microphone and said control switch, each of said like dictating machines having a like set of receptacles for making engagement with said connectors for exchanging electrical sound and electrical control signals wit-h said external control unit, an auxiliary unit for rendering said dictating machines alternately operative, said auxiliary unit being detachably coupled to said dictating machines and having receptacles for engagement with said control unit connectors and having connectors for engagement simultaneously with said like set of receptacles in both said like dictating machines, said auxiliary unit coupling said sound and control signals to only the operative one of said first and second machines and exercising control over said machines solely in response to only electrical signals transferred through its said connectors and receptacles, and means in said auxiliary unit responsive to an electrical signal provided by the then operating one of said machines representative of the relative position between said sound transducer and said recording medium of the then operative dictating machine for rendering the latter machine and the other of said machines respectively inoperative and operative.

2. Recording apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein said relative position responsive means responds to a relative position between said sound transducer and medium corresponding to said medium being nearly filled with recorded data.

3. Recording apparatus comprising, first and second like dictating machines each having a rotatable endless belt for recording sound and a sound head closely adjacent to said belt which head translates between a start and end position in a direction generally parallel to the rotational axis of said belt, an external control unit including at least a microphone and control switch, said external control unit having connectors electrically coupled to said microphone and said control switch, each of said like dictating machines having a like set of receptacles for making engagement with said control unit connectors for exchanging electrical sound and electrical control signals with said external control unit, an auxiliary unit for rendering said dictating machines alternately operative, said auxiliary unit being detachably coupled to said dictating machines and having a set of receptacles for engagement with said control unit connectors and having aset of connectors for engagement simultaneously with said like sets of receptacles in both said like dictating machines, said auxiliary unit coupling said electrical sound and electrical control signals to only the operative one of said like dictating machines and exercising control over said machines solely in response to only electrical signals transferred through its said connectors and receptacles, and means in said auxiliary unit responsive to an electrical signal in the then operating one of said machines representative of said sound head reaching said end position for rendering the latter machine and the other of said machines respectively inoperative and operative.

4. Recording apparatus in accordance with claim 3 wherein said means responsive to said sound head reaching said end position includes a limit switch actuated by said head reaching said end position, and a relay energized when said first dictating machine limit switch is actuated and deenergized when said second dictating machine limit switch is actuated, said relay including contacts for coupling said microphone and control switch to the operative dictating machine.

5. Recording apparatus in accordance with claim 4 and further comprising, holding contacts associated with said relay for maintaining the latter energized in the time interval between deactuation of said first machine limit switch and actuation of said second machine limit switch, actuation of the latter elfectively short circuiting the coil of said relay to release said holding contacts and deenergize said relay.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,200,351 Whitehead May 14, 1940 2,321,053 Deventer June 8, 1943 2,354,739 Clausen Aug. 1, 1944 2,359,061 T'hiede Sept. 26, 1944 2,683,605 Foster July 13, 1954 2,784,258 Sharpe Mar. 5, 1957 

1. RECORDING APPARATUS COMPRISING, FIRST AND SECOND LIKE DICTATING MACHINES EACH HAVING A RECORDING MEDIUM AND A SOUND TRANSDUCER RESPONSIVE TO ELECTRICAL SIGNALS FOR RECORDING DATA ON SAID MEDIUM, SAID SOUND TRANSDUCER AND MEDIUM BEING RELATIVELY MOVABLE, AN EXTERNAL CONTROL UNIT INCLUDING AT LEAST A MICROPHONE AND CONTROL SWITCH, SAID EXTERNAL CONTROL UNIT HAVING CONNECTORS ELECTRICALLY COUPLED TO SAID MICROPHONE AND SAID CONTROL SWITCH, EACH OF SAID LIKE DICTATING MACHINES HAVING A LIKE SET OF RECEPTACLES FOR MAKING ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID CONNECTORS FOR EXCHANGING ELECTRICAL SOUND AND ELECTRICAL CONTROL SIGNALS WITH SAID EXTERNAL CONTROL UNIT, AN AUXILIARY UNIT FOR RENDERING SAID DICTATING MACHINES ALTERNATELY OPERATIVE, SAID AUXILIARY UNIT BEING DETACHABLY COUPLED TO SAID DICTATING MACHINES AND HAVING RECEPTACLES FOR ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID CONTROL UNIT CONNECTORS AND HAVING CONNECTORS FOR ENGAGEMENT SIMULTANEOUSLY WITH SAID LIKE SET OF RECEPTACLES IN BOTH SAID LIKE DICTATING MACHINES, SAID AUXILIARY UNIT COUPLING SAID SOUND AND CONTROL SIGNALS TO ONLY THE OPERATIVE ONE OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND MACHINES AND EXERCISING CONTROL OVER SAID MACHINES SOLELY IN RESPONSE TO ONLY ELECTRICAL SIGNALS TRANSFERRED THROUGH ITS SAID CONNECTORS AND RECEPTACLES, AND MEANS IN SAID AUXILIARY UNIT RESPONSIVE TO AN ELECTRICAL SIGNAL PROVIDED BY THE THEN OPERATING ONE OF SAID MACHINES REPRESENTATIVE OF THE RELATIVE POSITION BETWEEN SAID SOUND TRANSDUCER AND SAID RECORDING MEDIUM OF THE THEN OPERATIVE DICTATING MACHINE FOR RENDERING THE LATTER MACHINE AND THE OTHER OF SAID MACHINES RESPECTIVELY INOPERATIVE AND OPERATIVE. 